


Ink Illness

by SkylerSkyhigh, xXUndertale_loverXx



Series: Collabs [4]
Category: Undertale
Genre: Angst, Blood, Coughing, Hurt/No Comfort, Ink illness, Sad, Sickness, Violence, dying, painful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 18:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16938141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylerSkyhigh/pseuds/SkylerSkyhigh, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXUndertale_loverXx/pseuds/xXUndertale_loverXx
Summary: A bloody cough.A drip of ink.A glitch.Melting insides.Pain.These are the symptoms that Ink experiences when he contracts a mysterious illness which he dubbed 'Ink Illness'. He suffers through it alone, in fear of hurting his friends.But he is dying. There's nothing that can stop it and there is nothing that can save him.





	Ink Illness

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the comic 'Bendy and Boris: Quest for the ink machine' by TheGreatRouge. An amazing artist and I so love her concepts, stories, comics and various AUs. Be sure to pop her a visit if you haven't!
> 
> Anyways, read at your own risk. This is depressing and details death and a very pain one. Reader discretion is advised. 
> 
> Still here? Cool! Read ahead!

Ink skidded backwards to a stop. He glared at his enemy, his brush raised with paint gathering at the tip, waiting for their next move.

Error smirked slightly. He'd knocked him back a bit. Good. He summoned three gasterblasters and shot them at Ink in quick succession. He needed to end this soon. The AU would collapse soon.

Ink painted the ground and a wall of purple paint blocked the blasts from the blasters.

He scowled and swung his brush, throwing a large splatter of paint towards Error.

Error used his strings to block the attack, wincing slightly as they were quickly eaten up by the acid. He summoned new ones, trying to tie up Ink with them.

Ink growled when he saw the attack, he readied his own attack to counter Error's strings.

Before he could shoot, he gasped when he felt something clench his Soul hard. He stumbled forward, his brush dropping as he covered his mouth and grabs his chest. He stared wide eyed at the ground, his eye lights small and shaky. His insides were burning as he coughed harshly.

Not again. Not now!

Error let his strings vanish and looked at Ink doubtfully. Was he faking an injury? He had barely hit him.

That coughing definitely didn't sound good. He watched, his weapons there but not attacking as his enemy gasped for air.

With a harsh cough, he spat out both black ink and red blood onto his hand. He pulls his hand back to look at the liquid staining his glove, more ink and blood dripped down his chin from his mouth.

Another sharp clench of his Soul had him gasping in pain and drop to his knees, hunched over to try and contain a scream. Stars it hurts so much. The hand on his chest glitched a few time before he coughed out more blood and ink, tears dripping down his face and combining with the ink and blood.

Error frowned. Had Ink just glitched? Surely that was only his imagination... He winced when he saw the blood and ink on Ink's hand.

What was wrong with the creator...?

" **cREatOR. why aRE yOu cOughing up blOOd?** " Error asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

"I-" Ink tried to reply but all he ended up doing was choking and coughing. He gasped wetly, trying to suck in more air that refused to come in. His Soul clenched feeling constricted. The rapid breathing he's doing is making him light headed alongside the pain making him dizzy. His vision begins to blackened as he coughed and gasped and choked.

Error frowned. He looked around, seeing the AU start to crumble. He opened a portal underneath Ink and sent him to the doodle sphere. He hoped Ink wouldn't die. It would offset the balance. He was pretty sure Ink was immortal though.

Ink could barely feel himself fall through a portal underneath him. Nor the fall onto an island in the Doodle Sphere. All he felt was pain and dizziness accompanied by light headedness. Eventually, he couldn't take the pain and passed out on the island. His body glitched once, twice, before he laid silent and still. A pool of ink and blood starting to pool under his face dripping from his mouth.

Ink knew this wasn't the first time this happened. And hopefully, despite how painful it is, it won't be the last. There's no cure for whatever he has. He had tried. But nothing worked. That doesn't mean he'll let others worry about him. They'll be happier staying oblivious.

\---

Dream looked at Ink excitedly.

"Look at all this! It's amazing! You did such a great job on it!" Dream exclaimed happily, looking around. They were in an AU, having a picnic with most of the Star Sanses present. It's one of the more beautiful scenic type with sprawling fields that had beautiful carpets of flowers and clear skies with fluffy clouds. The sky is an ambience mix of orange, purple and pink with pink and purple elegant butterflies flying around sipping nectar from the flowers leaving a sparkly trail.

Ink smiled proudly at Dream, a piece of cake in his hand. At least he's doing something right. A picnic is a great way to take his mind off of his....predicament. "Heh, thanks Dream. You helped too! You kept the AU at peace!"

"Thanks." Dream replied with a bright smile, eating another cookie. Blue's cookies are absolutely delicious! He really needs to ask for the recipe. And assistance in the kitchen.

"It's kinda like a collab. Together it's better." Blueberry spoke up, smiling.

Ink chuckles softly at Blue. "It sure is!"

"Can you pass me the lemonade Blue?" Ink asks after eating his cake. "It's really good. What kind of lemonade is it?"

Blue smiled.

"Raspberry mint lemonade." Blue responded as he handed Ink the lemonade.

"We should do more collabs then." Dream hummed when he had swallowed his cookie.

Ink smiles at Dream. "We should." he agreed and took a sip of his lemonade.

Suddenly he choked and coughed harshly, a familiar clench on his Soul and growing burn in his chest.

' _Oh no. Not now! Not again!_ ' Ink thinks panickedly.

"Ink? You should drink a bit more slowly to avoid choking..." Dream advised, frowning slightly.

Blue nodded.

Ink covers his mouth as he coughed, trying to cover the ink and blood threatening to escape.

"Y-yeah, sorry. Can you give me a sec?" Ink said shakily before he stood up and walks away. He needs to get away from them. He can't let them see him like this.

Blueberry frowned worriedly.

"Should we follow him?" He asked, looking at Dream.

"No. He'll be fine." Dream replied, not worried about his friend. Ink is strong and he'll be fine if he's ever attacked. He has faith in his friend. 

Ink hid behind a large rock just in time before a sharp convulsion wracked his frame. He coughed and gasped, spitting out blood and ink onto the grass. He clenched his eyes shut with tears of pain streaming down his face.

He coughed and gasped but tried to stay as quiet as possible to not alert his friends. His insides felt like they're burning and melting at the same time, filling his pseudo lungs with liquid and acid.

Just before he passed out once again, the pain lessened before it eventually stopped. Ink panted harshly as he tried to control his breathing. He looks down at the pool of ink and blood mixed in with his tears.

He gulps and wipes away the liquid dripping down his chin and cheeks. He grimaced at the blood, ink and tears on his hand. Gross.

He cleaned up as much as he could, making sure there's no evidence of his sickness.

He stood up shakily and walks back towards the picnic, ignoring the way his legs glitched a few times causing him to stumble when he couldn't get any solid footing. Thankfully he wasn't in eye sight yet so he kept walking. Eventually, even the glitching went away.

"See? He's fine." Dream pointed out as Ink returned. Blueberry frowned slightly. Ink didn't look good.

"Ink? You're looking kinda pale." Blue noticed worriedly.

Ink tensed slightly at Blue's observations but he covered it with a smile as he walks closer. "I'm always pale. We're skeletons."

Ink sat down back at his spot and gives them both a smile, though it was clear he was worn out. That attack did a number on him.

"Suure..." Blue replied skeptically, clearly not buying it.

"Do you need anything to eat or to drink?" He asked worriedly.

Dream tilted his skull slightly. He couldn't feel any positive emotions from Ink anymore.

"Can I have more of that lemonade?" Ink requested softly. There are bags under his eyes and he looked slightly sick. But he covered it up with a smile. Fake it till you make it.

"Yeah." Blueberry affirmed, giving him a cup of lemonade.

"You sure you're okay?" Dream asked, frowning worriedly.

Ink took a large sip of the refreshing drink before he smiles widely at Dream. That lemonade helped clear his throat of anymore blood and ink which was a relief. 

"I'm fine. Just a little tired. Error's really giving me a hard time lately." he lied through his teeth. He can't tell his friends that he's dying. What would they think?

"Ah. That makes sense. You haven't been creating a whole lot lately, have you?" Dream asked.

Blueberry nodded.

Ink shook his skull and looked down. "Yeah. Error's been keeping me so busy and in the end I was too tired to create when it's done."

It was a half truth. He is too tired to create lately. But not because of Error. It's because this illness is slowly killing him, sapping his energy with each attack. He just couldn't expend the energy or motivation to create anything.

But he can't tell his friends that. They're better off not knowing. Better off ignorant and blissful.

"One day we're going to catch him." Dream promised with a determined glow in his eye lights.

Blueberry frowned slightly at that.

"N-no need for that." Ink said softly. "I don't want you to risk your lives to capture Error. Besides, he'll just escape."

It's just lost cause. He isn't willing to put Error under the bus for something he didn't even do. Error's bad but he doesn't deserve unwanted hate. Especially from Dream.

Dream sighed slightly.

"Okay..." He agreed.

Blue sighed in relief. He didn't want anyone to hurt Error. He's been trying to convince Ink of the fact that he shouldn't blame Error for everything for a while now.

Ink smiles at Dream before he looks down with a frown. His mind thinking about everything. What will happen to Dream, his friends, the AUs, the Multiverse...when he's gone?

He doesn't want to think about it. But he has to. It's not _if_ he'll die. It's _when_ he dies.

\---

The vast doodle sphere was silent except for the sounds of Ink creating a new AU. The creature skeleton is floating in the vast expanse of the Doodle Sphere, playing with a blank sheet of paper that will be the AU.

Ink lazily drew the base design of the new AU. The environment. The shape. The monsters. Just the aesthetic first before he could start the story and other minute details which he'll implement in the coding of the new world.

After a moment he drops his paint brush with a sigh and rubs his face. Who was he kidding? A new AU won't fix him. What'll happen to it if he dies? Just be abandoned? No, he can't do that to his creations.

But what can he do?

Dream jumped through a portal into the doodle sphere, ready to motivate Ink to create an AU.

Ink looks up when he hears a portal open and blinks slowly when he sees Dream.

"Oh, hey. What are you doing here Dream?" he asks curiously.

"I'm here to motivate you!" Dream replied enthusiastically.

"You've seemed down in the dumps for some time." He explained, stepping closer to Ink as he strengthened his aura.

Ink flinched back when Dream stepped closer but his aura had already reached the creative skeleton. Immediately he felt more at ease, more relaxed and maybe a little hopeful. A little.

"I don't need help Dream." Ink says softly and drops down to stand on the only island in the vast space.

Dream frowned.

"Are you sure? You know I can read your emotions, right?" Dream reminded him, looking after him.

"Actually you can only read positive emotions." Ink reminded before he sat down cross legged on the ground, staring at nothing.

"But I don't feel anything." he says softly as he stares at his hand. It glitched once but thankfully his body obscured the view from Dream.

"Yeah but it's enough to feel no positive emotions from you while you create. That's very unlike you." Dream pointed out, frowning worriedly.

"I'm just tired Dream." Ink says softly. "I haven't been sleeping lately."

How could he sleep? His attacks woke him up and then he's be too much in pain to sleep. Plus the fear of being woken up by that horrid feeling of being choked alive and your insides burning is enough to keep him awake.

Dream frowns angrily. "It's Error isn't it?"

Ink shook his skull slowly. He can't blame Error for everything. Error didn't give him this illness. Why should be put Error on Dream's hit list- again. "No. Error's been quiet. I just...haven't been sleeping all that well, that's all."

"If Error's been quiet then why aren't you creating?" Dream asked confusedly.

Ink sighed harshly. "I'm tired Dream. So tired. I'm just...not in the mood."

Dream tilted his skull slightly, not understanding. Ink.. not in the mood to create..?

"Are you sure you're not sick or something?" He haphazarded.

Ink smirked. Sick. Hah. He entertained the thought. If only he was just 'sick'.

"I'm alright Dream." Ink said. "You go ahead and help others. They might need you better than I do at the moment."

"Okay..." Dream replied hesitantly.

"If you need me just give me a call." He explained, forming a portal. If Ink needed space, he'd give him some.

Ink nodded and waited for Dream to leave before he raises his hand to wipe away a some blood and ink that was dripping down his chin.

\---

The meeting room was filled with a heated debate.

Ink looks over at the arguing skeletons as they gathered around a large table. Dark bags under his eyes and his posture tired and slumped. As if the weight of the world is on his shoulders.

"Enough!" Red screamed. "We are going nowhere by arguing! What are we even discussing before ewe fought?!"

Dream hummed thoughtfully.

"I actually have no idea..." He replied calmly.

"But you're right. We're getting nowhere with this.." He agreed.

Ink groaned softly and rubs his aching skull. "So what was the point of this?"

Comic sighed from his spot beside Red. All this arguing and they forgot what they were arguing about? Typical.

"We had this meeting to discuss about you Ink." he reminded.

Ink blinked confused. "Really?"

"Yes." Comic replied. "You haven't made any new AUs. You haven't stopped Nightmare or his gang from causing havoc. You haven't visited anyone in....well months. You have anything to tell us?"

"We definitely won't judge you." Dream added quickly.

"You can tell us." He tried to reassure Ink. He was very worried for the creator, they all were.

Ink looks away with a frown. How can he tell them that he's dying?

"Nothing's wrong." he lied.

"Something is definitely wrong." G spoke. "You're tired all them time. You have no energy. Barely slept, according to Dream. Something is clearly bothering you."

"I told you I'm fine-" Ink was interrupted by hacking cough. He covers his mouth and ribs as he coughed harshly, his Soul cracking and his body burning from the inside.

"Ink!" Dream exclaimed worriedly, by his side in an instant.

"What's wrong?!" He asked, rubbing Ink's back gently.

Red cursed quietly, standing up. What the fuck was happening?! That cough does not sound good.

Ink coughed a few more times before he got it under control. He looks at Dream with one eye, the other clenched shut in pain. "Nothing. I'm just a little sick, that's all."

Comic looks extremely worried alongside the other skeletons.

"That doesn't sound like 'just a little sick'." Outer pointed out.

"I'm fine." Ink forces out firmly, trembling in pain.

Dream's eye sockets widened in shock and fear.

"I... I don't think coughing up blood is fine..." He replied worriedly, frowning.

"Let me heal you..." He added. He needs to help Ink with whatever sickness he's facing.

"Blood?" Ink whispers in confusion before he looks down at his hand. His eyes widened when he saw blood and ink on his hand. Shit. Shit shit Shit he didn't notice!

Ink heard Dream's offer and remembered another Sans that tried to help. He died, infected by whatever illness Ink has.

"No!" Ink exclaimed in alarm before he coughs harshly. His body wracking with convulsions and his body felt like it was filling up with burning liquid.

"Don't-!" he choked out between bloody coughs. "You'll die too!"

The other Sanses could only watch in horror, confused and scared at what was happening in front of their very eyes.

"Who died?" Dream asked, frowning worriedly.

"Ink...?" He asked tentatively, his eye lights shrinking when he saw Ink cough up more blood.

"You had this at least since the picnic. Why didn't you tell us?!" Blueberry asked, enraged at himself that he hadn't noticed sooner.

Ink curled in on himself as his insides felt like it's being melted. His body was trembling hard from the pain. Tears dot his eyes from it all.

"Medic!Sans from- from MedicTale-6!" Ink forced out. He had asked for help when he had gotten the sickness. He didn't expect it to be contagious, spread through magic. He watched as the Sans got infected and died. Coughing out blood and Ink before glitching uncontrollably. He died quicker than Ink because Ink is powerful. But it looks like he's losing this battle.

Ink sobs softly. "I'm sorry! I-!" he coughed out more blood and ink onto the table. His body glitches a few times, his voice becoming slightly static. "I didn't want to worry you!"

"Too late. We're very worried." Blueberry replied.

"Okay, Ink. Just.. stay calm. We'll find a way to fix this." Dream promised, his eye lights flickering in distress. Damn.. fucking hell...

Ink didn't answer, he covered his mouth coughing harshly before he pukes out a lot of blood and ink on the table. He coughs and gaged, the combined liquid dripping down his chin and joining the growing puddle. The pool of liquid begins to drip down onto the ground over the edge of the table. Black and red mixed together in a swirl but never mixing, never combining.

Ink's eye lights begins to dim as his face begins to turn paler, his magic depleting, his body glitching and his Soul cracking. He's slowly losing energy to even gasp for breath.

"Fuck..." Dream cursed quietly, doing his best to hold Ink together as he hugged him.

"It's gonna be okay..." He mumbled quietly, tears rolling down his cheek bones.

Red skidded to a halt next to them.

"fuck.. you can't die, buddy. y-you can't... we need you..." Red murmured quietly.

Ink's eye sight began to blur and darken at the edges as his body slowly shut down due to the lack of air and the loss of blood accompanied by extreme amounts of pain. His insides turning into nothing more than ink. His code glitching alongside his body, threatening to erase him from the Multiverse.

"I'm sorry...." Ink said softly, blood and ink dripping down his chin from his mouth. His trembling lessened as his body deteriorates into nothing more than ink. "I didn't want this....I didn't want you all to-"

He cut himself off without another wet cough, his body glitching harshly.

"Ink, please don't go!" Blueberry shouted, hugging Ink and Dream tightly. The other skeletons were frozen in shock.

Ink's body glitched when Blue touched him, sending the other skeletons falling down when they couldn't get a solid hold on Ink.

Blue winced as he withdrew slightly, staring at Ink wide-eyed.

Dream flinched as he tried to get a hold of Ink but he slipped through his fingers, backing up.

Ink stepped back, tears streaming down his face as he spat out more of his life fluid alongside the parasitic ink. "I'm sorry...." he whispered hoarsely.

"Ink..?" Dream asked, sounding slightly panicked.

"I'm sorry." the Creator of AUs whispered. His hand glitched harshly alongside his lower body.

"I didn't mean to hurt you guys." he said. "You weren't suppose to know."

Suddenly, the pain stopped. He couldn't feel the pain.

In fact, he couldn't feel anything.

Just...numb.

He looks up at them and gives them all a forced smile. "Goodbye. Take care of yourself."

"ink..." Red gasped out shockedly as he saw Ink dusting. Bits of dust flaking off after each glitch.

Dream stared at the creator wide-eyed, his eye lights vanishing. This was horrible...

Blueberry started crying and sunk to his knees, sobbing.

Ink couldn't do anything but watch as his friends broke down in front of him. He gives them all a tearful smile before he dusted away with another large glitch, leaving nothing but his paintbrush behind as it clatters onto the ground.

At least he left something behind for someone to create more AUs for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Poor Ink. Tell me what you think down in the comments below! Tap on that Kudos button if you think I deserve some love! Anyways, thanks for reading!
> 
> Also amazing thanks for X for helping me write this! They did an amazing job so be sure to give them some love too! Preferably chocolate. ;) Thanks!


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